Gestational diabetes was common across all groups compared with
national data, consistent with the high background risk associated with
these world regions of origin [12,26]. The high prevalence of preexisting
diabetes, especially in the South Asian non-HSC group and
the Southeast Asian HSC group, was also consistent with national data
[26]. Although adverse effects of diabetes in pregnancywere not immediately
apparent in the pregnancy outcomes of the present study, specific
investigation of this issue and the potential roappropriate strategies to prevent BMI-related pregnancy complications
and metabolic diseasesle of maternal
gestational weight gain could provide additional insights. The longterm
risks associated with diabetes in pregnancy and the high prevalence
of overweight in the HSC groups suggest a need for culturally